At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last week, Ford revealed its newest concept pickup truck with a lot of fanfare, lowering the Atlas from the ceiling.

A surprisingly well-kept secret going into the show, especially compared to the highly anticipated — and well-received — 2014 C7 Corvette, the Atlas may prove to be the most important vehicle on display in Detroit.

The F-Series of pickup trucks is a huge deal for Ford. It has been the best-selling pickup for 36 straight years, and the best-selling vehicle in the country for 31 straight years.

The 645,316 F-Series Ford sold in 2012 made up nearly 30 percent of the 2,168,015 vehicles it sold overall.

The Atlas is a look at how Ford plans to stay on top of a crucially lucrative segment.

Ford Motor Co.

As Shane McGlaun at SlashGear notes, there is nothing about the Atlas that Ford could not put into a production car — on the spectrum of concepts, this is much closer to preview than fantasy. The automaker called the likely F150 successor the "future of pickup trucks."

With an eye to the future, Ford has worked to improve functionality and fuel efficiency. The Atlas has electrical outlets to charge power tools, hidden ramps that extend, and lots of legroom.

It will be powered by a big version of the EcoBoost engine that Ford puts in its smaller cars, and feature auto start-stop technology. Active grille shutters will open when the engine needs cooling and close to improve aerodynamics.

Of course, none of this has become a reality just yet. The Atlas is certainly important, but other value judgements have to wait until Ford rolls out a production version, and commits to the vision it believes will keep it at the top of the pickup game.

Disclosure: Ford paid for our travel and lodging expenses to visit the North American International Auto Show this year.